This is my first contribution to the Forum but I have been reading and searching the Forum for nearly a year. Last year I sold my old Royal Enfield Bullet and discovered that what I really liked doing was working on it; if you ever owned a Bullet you will know what I mean, however, I started watch the Cafe Racer series on TV and thought building up an old bike would be a lot of fun.
Last spring I went to a local vintage bike show and met a guy that had a 1971 CB750 basket case for sale cheap. This bike had a prior life as a chopper; it has a Harley wheel on back, ape hangers, a sissy bar and a seized engine. My son and I decided this would be a great bike to learn on. So we started taking it apart and had some fun doing that. The bike has some nice parts and pieces; you just have to know where to look.
In the fall I ran into a 1974 barn find with an engine that turned over, low mileage and was able to get if for a good deal. The PO told me that the bike has not run for over 8 years. It was parked on the kickstand and the front caliper was frozen to the disc. Luckily I learned a thing or two in working on the '71 and we were able to take the caliber apart and get the bike loaded.
This past winter I cleaned up the carbs a bit, the bank with #3 & #4 was clogged and I did a lot of research on trying to get the '74 to actually start. I figured if I could get it to run then we would get serious about moving ahead. I changed the oil in the bike, replaced oil filter, got a new battery, did a quick vinegar wash on the tank and mixed some Seafoam in with fresh fuel, and this past weekend we had success. There was a lot of smoke from burning dust, old oil on the engine, and the carbs leaked quite a bit from above the bowls. We did two runs, one for about 5 minutes and one for about 10 minutes and then we let her cool down and removed the tank and salvaged the fuel for the lawnmower.
So now the fun begins. The carbs are back off the bike and are getting an ultrasonic cleaning. I need to get my carb kits ordered and we need to redo the front brake system, and of course the brake pad is stuck in the caliper. I am really thinking the thing to do is order a new after market master cylinder and get a new after market caliper. The brake lines are old and the metal pipe is pretty shot as well. The head light smoked a bit, so that is on the list. We may decide to get this bike in running condition and put a few miles on it before starting in on the major project. I just wish I had a larger garage; I need to find a place for the '71 and all those good bits and pieces. Anyone need a 1970's sissy bar?
I would love to include pictures but have spent 45 minutes trying...so if someone can tell me the steps to do that, I will post some shots of the two bikes
Cheers
